Back on February 15th, 2008 (yes, theFrontSteps has been around that long) we were asked by a reader if we knew of any good maps showing areas in San Francisco that are either bedrock or landfill. You’d be amazed how many people, to this day, read that post, and how many more emails we get asking if we have an even better map that will drill down and show the exact streets and topographic undulations as they pertain to a specific home/condo or listing.

Until now, we’ve come up empty, but we’re pleased to say, we have been informed of two new (to us) maps. One is a State of California Geologic map showing San Francisco areas prone to liquefaction (green) and “earthquake induced landslides” (blue), and you can really drill it down to the street you live on. (Click on the image to download the pdf and get your SF liquefaction/landslide knowledge on…quiz next week):

That’s a cool map. The other map is hidden in our MLS, and it allows us to layer the Liquefaction map over the listing location map. Do they give that access to you? Of course not, but we welcome you to contact us if you’d like us to research a listing for you (expect to work with us on the transaction, or tell your Realtor to do it for you).

Have a look at this property at 260 Green, a gorgeous 4 bed, 4.5 bath trophy San Francisco home in Telegraph Hill, with a recent price reduction from $12,900,000 to $11,000,000. By way of magic mouse clicking we’re able to tell you immediately if that home is in a prone area, and apparently price is not the only thing subject to sliding at 260 Green. (Obviously our one second look at a map does not compare to consulting with an expert soils or seismic engineer, so make sure you do if you have your eye on this property, or any others for that matter…okay.)

So that’s all great and what we can do for you, but what if you don’t want to contact a Realtor? San Franciscans, if you don’t know roughly where your home/neighborhood is on that map…you got issues. For the out of town readers considering a move to San Francisco, you can compare the liquefaction/landslide map to this San Francisco Neighborhood map. That will give you a good starting point. (For details go here.)

And in case you missed our original post and would like to know whether the chances of your house crumbling during “The Big One” are Very High, or Low (not just whether you’re in the zone), here you go: (the below map requires Shockwave)

Needless to say, if you live/plan on living in an area of green (first map) orange or red (bottom map), you better know how to duck for cover, and know that earthquakes don’t discriminate based on property values…if you’re in the zone, you’re in the zone. We hope “The Big One” never hits, but we all know it’s a matter of when, and not if, so choose your property location wisely, inspect, inspect, inspect, and remember to do those seismic upgrades you’ve been putting off for so long.

[Update: As is often the case, our readers are more bad ass than we are, and so provided a link to a soil stability (types) site: Click here to see it.]

IF YOU’RE LOOKING AT THIS POST CONSIDERING WHERE YOU WANT TO PURCHASE OR NEED TO SELL PROPERTY IN SAN FRANCISCO, IT’S BEST YOU CONTACT ME! I can get into details with you.

7 Comments

Keep in mind that you can zoom in on those maps a lot further than the geologists really intended you to. If you are outside of the colored zones but within a few hundred feet of one then you should probably assume you are in it.